
One silver lining during the pandemic has been the expansion and growth of graduate programs in the College of Business Administration. Graduate student headcount has more than doubled in the last two years, with diversity also increasing significantly, particularly among women and Asian, Black and Hispanic populations.
CBA added two new programs to its graduate portfolio in fall 2021 – an M.S. in Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation and a Master in Global Entrepreneurial Management. An M.S. in Taxation is set to launch in fall 2022 followed by a Master in Entertainment Leadership & Management, a joint program with the School of Film & Television, in fall 2023.
“We are taking the necessary steps to ensure our students stay relevant and competitive in today’s ever-changing marketplace,” said Dayle Smith, dean of LMU College of Business Administration. “Our expanding graduate business portfolio is a result of industry demand and student preference.”
Another upside from the pandemic has been the successful implementation of a hybrid model for CBA graduate programs. The Executive MBA program, once fully in-person, now holds classes online once a month. A few other programs have followed suit, much to the approval of students and faculty.
In addition, the college has made several key leadership hires for graduate programs in the last two years including Dustin Cornwell, senior director of graduate business programs; Nola Wanta, senior director of business development and strategy; and Christen Johnson, director of graduate business student engagement. Gwendolyn Dreyer, senior assistant director of admission, and Nelly Quintanilla, assistant director of admission, recruit students for the portfolio of graduate business programs.
“We’ve put a lot of time, effort and resources into building our graduate business program offerings and ensuring our students receive a high-quality experience in and out of the classroom,” said Cornwell. “I feel confident that our graduate programs are well positioned to continue on this growth trajectory.”
LMU is consistently ranked among the top graduate business programs in the nation. According to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, LMU came in #13 in entrepreneurship, #20 in marketing, #25 in management and #33 in business analytics. The college is leveraging its strongest disciplines to collaborate with other units across campus and cultivate industry partnerships throughout Los Angeles and beyond.
“Because our graduate programs are relatively small in size, this allows numerous opportunities for synergies and interdisciplinary study,” said Smith. “We’re excited about the possibility of adding more joint programs that span disciplines to give our students that extra edge in the marketplace.”